Training apparatus

ABSTRACT

Training apparatus  1  includes exercise equipment  3, 4  mounted to a side surface  8   a  or a roof  19  of a land vehicle or for mounting to a surface such as a wall of a building or ship. The exercise equipment includes a support structure which is attached to the surface  8   a  or roof  19  and is manoeuvrable by pivoting with respect thereto whilst remaining attached thereto, between a stowed condition and an exercising condition.

The invention relates to training apparatus.

It is known from WO2014/027086 to provide training apparatus which canbe transported by being contained in a shipping container and thenunpacked from the shipping container and assembled by attachment to theoutside of the shipping container. This type of training apparatus isreadily transportable to a site where it is to be used, but time isrequired to unpack the exercise equipment and to assemble it ready foruse. After the exercise equipment has been used, time is also requiredto dismantle it and pack it into the container ready for transport.

It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 8,485,951 to provide vehicle mountedtraining apparatus which provides for resistance tube training.

According to a first aspect the invention provides training apparatuscomprising a land vehicle provided with exercise equipment, wherein theexercise equipment comprises a support structure which is attached to anoutside surface of the land vehicle and is manoeuvrable by pivoting withrespect to the outside surface of the land vehicle whilst remainingattached thereto, between a stowed condition for use during locomotionof the land vehicle, and an exercising condition for use when the landvehicle is stationary.

Thus, support structure of the exercise equipment may be convenientlystowed during locomotion of the vehicle and may then the manoeuvred bypivoting when the vehicle is stationary to an exercising conditionallowing for the exercise equipment to be used.

According to a second aspect the invention provides a training apparatuscomprising a land vehicle provided with exercise equipment, wherein theexercise equipment comprises a support structure which is attached to avertically extending outside surface of the land vehicle and ismanoeuvrable, whilst remaining so attached, between a stowed conditionfor use during locomotion of the land vehicle, and an exercisingcondition for use when the land vehicle is stationary.

Thus, during locomotion of the land vehicle the support structure of theexercise equipment may be conveniently attached to a verticallyextending outside surface of the land vehicle, and then when it isdesired to use the exercise equipment with the land vehicle stationary,the support structure may be manoeuvred whilst remaining attached to theoutside surface of the land vehicle to the exercising condition.

According to a third aspect the invention provides a training apparatuscomprising a land vehicle provided with exercise equipment, wherein theexercise equipment comprises a support structure which is manoeuvrablebetween a stowed condition attached to an outside surface of the landvehicle for use during locomotion of the land vehicle, and an exercisingcondition attached to the outside surface of the land vehicle for usewhen the land vehicle is stationary, and wherein the support structureis configured to engage the ground when it is in the exercisingcondition.

Thus, in this arrangement, the exercise equipment is both attached tothe outside of the land vehicle and in engagement with the ground whenit is to be used. The exercise equipment may then be deployed in astable manner.

According to a fourth aspect the invention provides a training apparatuscomprising a land vehicle provided with exercise equipment, wherein theexercise equipment comprises a support structure which is manoeuvrablebetween a stowed condition attached to a roof surface of the landvehicle for use during locomotion of the land vehicle, and an exercisingcondition attached to the roof surface of the land vehicle for use whenthe land vehicle is stationary.

With such an arrangement the support structure may be conveniently inthe stowed condition attached to the roof surface of the land vehicleduring locomotion thereof, and then when it is desired to use theexercise equipment with the land vehicle stationary the supportstructure can be conveniently manoeuvred to the exercising condition.

In all the above aspects of the invention, it is possible to move thetraining apparatus from one place to another and to use it for exercisein a very quick and convenient manner compared to the more timeconsuming process involved in the transport and use of knowntransportable training apparatus which has to be unpacked and thenassembled.

The land vehicle may comprise a trailer and the outside surface or theroof surface may belong to the trailer. The training apparatus may betransported by towing the trailer and can be used for exercise when thetrailer is stationary by manoeuvring the support structure from thestowed condition to the exercising condition. By providing the supportstructure in the stowed condition on the outside of the trailer, whetheron a vertically extending side, front or rear wall thereof, or a roofsurface thereof, it can readily be manoeuvred to the exercisingcondition also attached to the same surface. After the exerciseequipment has been used for exercise, the support structure can beeasily stowed again so that the land vehicle, e.g. the trailer, is readyfor transport.

The invention also extends to exercise equipment comprising a supportstructure adapted to be attached to a land vehicle to form trainingapparatus in accordance with any of the first to fourth aspects of theinvention. The various optional features of the exercise equipment mayalso be provided.

There are aspects of the present invention which are applicable morewidely than to land vehicles, in particular being for mounting to anysurface. In this much broader context, it is known from US 2015/0290488to provide a retractable wall mounted exercise rack system having a pairof vertically oriented ground engaging legs which may be lifted andpivoted away from the ground when it is desired to retract the system toa position closer to a wall. Each leg is vertically oriented both whenin a position for exercise and when retracted closer to the wall, i.e.the leg is in the same orientation when in the exercise position andwhen in the retracted position, so that it occupies the same amount ofvertical space in both positions. The pivoting between the positionsresults in horizontal displacement of the leg but does not alter itsorientation.

According to a fifth aspect, the invention provides a training apparatuscomprising exercise equipment for mounting to a surface, wherein theexercise equipment comprises a support structure which is attachable tothe surface and is manoeuvrable, whilst remaining so attached, between astowed condition and an exercising condition, the support structurehaving a ground engaging leg which engages the ground and is in a firstorientation when the support structure is in the exercising condition,and which is spaced from the ground and is in a second orientationdifferent from the first orientation, so as to occupy less verticalspace than when it is in the first orientation, when the supportstructure is in the stowed condition.

With such an arrangement, when the support structure is in the stowedcondition its ground engaging leg occupies less vertical space than whenthe support structure is in the exercising condition. The trainingapparatus is therefore useful in situations where there is a restrictionon the vertical space available for the training apparatus, for exampleon a ship when headroom is restricted or a basement or other gymnasiumwith restricted floor to ceiling space. It is also beneficial where thesurface belongs to a land vehicle, such as a trailer, where the groundengaging leg requires a certain length to perform its function duringexercise, but when the support structure is stowed it is desired thatthe ground engaging leg should not project, or should only project asmall amount, beyond the dimensions of the land vehicle as viewed inelevation.

According to a sixth aspect the invention provides a training apparatuscomprising exercise equipment for mounting to a surface, wherein theexercise equipment comprises a support structure which is attachable tothe surface and is manoeuvrable, whilst remaining so attached, between astowed condition and an exercising condition, the support structurehaving at least two ground engaging legs which engage the ground whenthe support structure is in the exercising condition, and which arespaced from the ground when the support structure is in the stowedcondition, and wherein the ground engaging legs are independentlymanoeuvrable with respect to each other when the support structure ismanoeuvred between the stowed and exercising conditions.

By providing ground engaging legs which are independently manoeuvrablewith respect to each other the weight of only one leg at a time needs tobe dealt with during the manoeuver. This in turn can avoid the need forany spring or actuator assistance if a ground engaging leg has to bemanoeuvred against its weight, thereby providing a simple design ofsupport structure.

As with the fifth aspect, the sixth aspect of the invention isapplicable both to a fixed surface, such as that of a ship or agymnasium, as well as to a surface which belongs to a land vehicle suchas a trailer.

Various optional features of the different aspects of the invention arediscussed below.

In the stowed condition the support structure may be adjacent to thesurface, and in the exercising condition, at least a portion of thesupport structure may be spaced from the surface. By providing a supportportion spaced from the surface, this can allow an adequate amount ofspace away from the surface for a user to exercise. The portion may bespaced from the surface by at least 50 cm or 60 cm or 70 cm or 80 cm or90 cm or 1.0 m.

Such a support portion may provide support for an exercise bar. Theexercise bar may be arranged so that it is spaced from the surface, forexample a surface of a land vehicle such as a trailer. This can allowroom for exercise below the bar without interference, e.g. from the landvehicle. The exercise bar may be arranged so that a space below it isuninterrupted between the bar and the ground (or other surface on whicha person using the bar for exercise may stand). This will enable a userto use that space when exercising, for example to perform pull-ups.

The exercise bar may be gripped by a user during exercise. It may behorizontally arranged, for a user to carry out exercises such aspull-ups, toes to bar, or squats (using weights attached to the exercisebar). The exercise bar may be supported, by the support portion when thesupport structure is in the exercising condition, in a fixed positionspaced from the surface. This is convenient for exercises such aspull-ups or toes to bar. Alternatively the exercise bar may carryweights and be liftable from the support portion, then being used forsquats or other weight training exercises.

In the stowed condition, the support structure may be stowed in arelatively compact manner adjacent to the surface, and then manoeuvredto a less compact arrangement when the exercise equipment is to be usedfor exercising. In the stowed condition substantially the entire supportstructure may be in a collapsed state in which it lies adjacent to thesurface, generally parallel thereto. In the exercising condition thesupport structure may be pivoted away from the surface, for example tocause the support portion to be spaced from the surface.

In one manner of attachment, the support structure may be attached tothe surface so as to be manoeuvrable between the stowed and exerciseconditions in a single plane. It may for example be attached by a hingeconnection whereby the support structure can pivot in a single planebetween the conditions.

In other possible arrangements, the support structure may be attached tothe surface as to be manoeuvrable in more than one plane. This could beachieved by a universal joint, such as by a ball and socket, whichallows pivoting in a single plane or pivoting in more than one plane.

In certain embodiments, the support structure is pivotable about a firstaxis perpendicular to the surface, and is pivotable about a second axisperpendicular to the first axis. In use, the support structure may bepivoted about the second axis whereby it pivots away from the surface,and it may then be pivoted about the first axis perpendicular to thesurface. This arrangement is useful in a situation where one or morecomponents of the support structure, such as a ground engaging leg, maybe pivoted away from the surface before being pivoted to a position inwhich the exercise equipment will be used.

The support structure may have an arm member attached to the surface.The arm member may be generally parallel to the surface when the supportstructure is in the stowed condition. The arm member may project awayfrom the surface when the support structure is in the exercisingcondition. It may project away from the surface perpendicularly thereto,for example perpendicularly to a vertical outside surface of a trailer,to a roof of a trailer, or to a wall of a ship or building. It mayproject in a substantially horizontal direction, for example if itprojects from a vertically extending surface, when it may then connectto a ground engaging leg extending downwardly from the arm member to theground; or the arm member may project upwardly, either upright orintermediate between horizontal and vertical for example, if it projectsfrom a horizontally extending surface, such as a roof surface, when itmay then connect to a cantilevered component of the support structure.

In the case of a support structure comprising a ground engaging leg, theengagement of the leg on the ground enables the support structure totake loading when it is being used, the loading arising for example frompeople using the exercise apparatus, such as to do pull-up or toes tobar, or to support weights. When the support structure is in the stowedcondition, the leg can be compactly positioned adjacent to the surface,such as a fixed wall or an outside surface of a land vehicle, e.g. atrailer.

A ground engaging leg may improve the stability of a land vehicle duringexercise by a user, by preventing it from rocking on a suspension, forexample. If more than one ground engaging leg is provided, e.g. onopposite sides of the land vehicle, then stability will be furtherenhanced.

The arm member and the ground engaging leg may together form an arm andleg unit, and this unit may have an upside down “L” shape. In thearrangements in which the support structure comprises an arm memberconnected to a ground engaging leg, it is useful if the arm member isattached to the surface so as to be movable in more than one plane. Thearm member and the leg connected thereto may be pivoted so that the legis moved away from the surface, and then pivoted into the exercisingcondition in which the leg engages the ground.

The ground engaging leg may be generally upright when the supportstructure is in the exercising condition, and be non-upright, forexample horizontal, when the support structure is in the stowedcondition. This can enable the length of the leg, which is requiredbelow a location at which the leg is supported, e.g. with respect to atrailer, for the leg to reach the ground in the exercising condition, tobe accommodated on the surface, e.g. the outside of the trailer, in thestowed condition. For example, the leg may be stowed in a horizontalorientation, e.g. in a lengthwise direction of a trailer withoutprojecting beyond the lengthwise ends of the trailer, or projecting onlya small amount.

In the embodiments in which the support structure has at least twoground engaging legs, in the exercising condition the at least two legsmay be spaced apart from each other. They may be interconnected by atleast one connecting bar, such as an exercise bar. In the stowedcondition a first leg may extend adjacent to the surface, e.g. theoutside of a trailer, and a second leg may extend next to the first leg.The first leg may then be between the second leg and the surface.Alternatively, both legs may be stowed adjacent to the surface, forexample with one leg being positioned above the other.

There may be an arm member for each leg. Each arm member may bepivotable about a first axis perpendicular to the outside of thetrailer, and may be pivotable about a second axis perpendicular to thefirst axis. In that case, the second pivot axis of one arm member may beparallel to and offset from the second pivot axis of another arm member.This can allow the arm members, and preferably also the respective legsto which they are connected, to lie in offset planes, e.g. offsetvertical planes, when the support structure, i.e. the plurality of armand leg member units, is in the stowed condition. This may achieve thearrangement mentioned above in which a first leg extends adjacent to thesurface, and a second leg extends next to the first leg with the firstleg between the second leg and the surface.

A releasable restraining device may be provided to secure the supportstructure on the surface when it is in the stowed condition.

In the fifth or sixth aspect of the invention, or any embodiment of anyother aspect in which at least one ground engaging leg is provided, theground engaging leg or legs may be spaced from the ground, when thesupport structure is in the stowed condition, by at least 20 cm or 30 cmor 40 cm or 50 cm.

The exercise equipment of the training apparatus may comprise groundengaging exercise apparatus, which may have one or more ground engaginglegs as discussed herein, or it may comprise cantilevered exerciseapparatus, or it may comprise both ground engaging exercise apparatusand cantilevered exercise apparatus. In the latter case, the exerciseequipment may have first and second support structures, one for theground engaging exercise apparatus and the other for the cantileveredexercise apparatus. The support structure for the ground engagingexercise apparatus may be attached to a wall surface of a land vehicle,whilst the support structure for the cantilevered exercise apparatus maybe attached to a roof surface of the land vehicle.

Where both ground engaging exercise apparatus and cantilevered exerciseapparatus are provided, this allows for different types of trainingexercise as well as enabling more than one person to train at one time.

The cantilevered exercise apparatus may have a cantilever component.When the cantilevered exercise apparatus is in an exercisingconfiguration, the cantilever component may project away from thesurface, e.g. the outside of the trailer, and not engage the ground. Thecantilever component may be in the form of an exercise frame, having atleast one exercise bar to be gripped by a user during exercise.

The cantilevered exercise apparatus may extend adjacent to the surfacewhen in the stowed configuration. It may be attached to a verticallyextending surface, such as the outside of a trailer at a side thereof,but in embodiments the cantilevered exercise apparatus is attached to aroof surface, for example a roof surface of a trailer. In the case thatthe cantilevered exercise apparatus is attached on a horizontal surface,such as on the roof of the trailer it may then be in a generallyhorizontal plane when in a stowed configuration.

The cantilevered exercise apparatus may be attached both to a side andto a roof of a land vehicle.

In embodiments, the cantilevered exercise apparatus remains attached tothe surface during manoeuvring between the stowed configuration and theexercising configuration.

In the embodiments in which the cantilevered exercise apparatus has acantilever component which projects away from the surface and does notengage the ground when the apparatus is in the exercising configuration,free space can be created below the cantilever component to provide fortraining exercises, for example pull ups or using monkey bars. Byattaching the cantilevered exercise apparatus to a surface of a landvehicle, sufficient vertical space can be easily created below thecantilever component to facilitate this type of exercise.

The cantilever component may extend upwardly in a direction intermediatebetween horizontal and vertical, when the cantilevered exerciseapparatus is in the exercising configuration. This can assist with thecreation of vertical space below the cantilever component. It can alsoenable the cantilever component to extend away from the surface asviewed from above. The cantilever component may project away from thesurface, e.g. the outside of a trailer when the apparatus is in theexercising configuration and may extend adjacent to the surface, e.g.the outside of the trailer, for example horizontally, when the apparatusis in the stowed configuration.

The cantilever component may comprise a surface attachment portion whichis located in a first position when said cantilevered exercise apparatusis in the stowed configuration and which is movable to a second positionwhen said cantilevered exercise apparatus is in the exercisingconfiguration, the surface attachment portion being attached to thesurface when in said second position, for example by a releasableanchoring device.

The cantilever component may have a distal end portion remote from thesurface attachment portion and at a free end of the cantilevercomponent. When the exercise apparatus is in the exercisingconfiguration, the cantilever component may be supported at a locationthereon intermediate between the surface attachment portion and thedistal end portion. It may be supported by an arm member.

The distal end portion may then be spaced apart from the surface. Thedistal end portion may be at a higher location than the surfaceattachment portion.

In embodiments, the cantilever component remains attached to the surfaceduring the movement of the surface attachment portion from the firstposition to the second position. It may be arranged to slide and/orpivot, e.g. on the trailer roof, from the stowed configuration to theexercising configuration.

In certain embodiments, where an arm member and a cantilever componentas mentioned above are provided, the arm member may be pivotally mountedto the surface, e.g. the outside of the trailer so as to be able topivot to its deployed mode in which it projects away from the surface,and the cantilever component may be pivotally mounted to the arm memberabout a cantilever component pivot axis. This pivot axis may bepositioned intermediate the surface attachment portion and the distalend portion of the cantilever component.

In operation, in order for the cantilevered exercise apparatus to movefrom its stowed configuration to its exercising configuration, the armmember is pivoted away from the surface, e.g. the outside of thetrailer, causing the cantilever component pivot axis to move away fromthe surface.

The surface attachment portion may then be fixed to the surface, wherebythe cantilever component extends from its surface attachment portion,via the cantilever component pivot axis where it is supported by the armmember, to its distal end portion spaced apart from the surface. Thusthe part of the cantilever component extending between the surfaceattachment portion thereof and the cantilever component pivot axis mayact to stabilise the cantilevered exercise apparatus in the exercisingconfiguration.

An exercise bar as mentioned above may be provided for ground engagingexercise apparatus and/or for cantilevered exercise apparatus. Forexample, where both types of apparatus are provided, each may have arespective exercise bar.

In the case of ground engaging exercise apparatus having at least twolegs, the exercise bar may extend between the legs. It may function asthe connecting bar mentioned above. The ground engaging exerciseapparatus may comprise a plurality of horizontal exercise bars.

In the case of cantilevered exercise apparatus having a cantilevercomponent, the cantilever component may comprise a horizontal exercisebar. This may be provided at or adjacent to the distal end portion ofthe cantilever component. The cantilever component may comprise aplurality of horizontal exercise bars.

In the case of a land vehicle comprising a trailer, the trailer may have(e.g. four) side walls and a roof. It may be a box, such as an ISOshipping container, removably secured on a flat bed, or it may be anintegral construction. Because the equipment is on the outside of thetrailer, the inside of the trailer is free to be used to store goods,supplies or other exercise equipment when the trailer is towed, i.e.during locomotion thereof.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way ofexample and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the training apparatus, viewed from therear, with the exercise equipment in a stowed condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the training apparatus, viewed from therear, with the exercise equipment in an exercising condition;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the training apparatus, viewed from thefront, with the exercise equipment in the exercising condition;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a leg of ground engaging exerciseapparatus when the apparatus is in an exercising configuration; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of cantilevered exercise apparatus when theapparatus is in an exercising configuration;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of another embodiment of training apparatuscomprising ground engaging exercise apparatus in a stowed configuration;and

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the ground engaging exercise apparatus ofFIG. 6 in an exercising configuration.

As seen in the drawings, training apparatus 1 comprises a land vehiclein the form of a trailer 2 provided with exercise equipment attached tothe outside of the trailer. The trailer has wheels 20 enabling it to betransported by being towed by a vehicle.

The trailer 2 has an outside 7 which comprises two opposite lateralwalls having outside side surfaces 8 a and 8 b, two opposite front andrear end walls having outside front and rear side surfaces 9 and 10, anda roof having a roof surface 19. At the front of the trailer 2 a tow bar11 is provided. The rear side surface 10 comprises a pair of doors forgaining access to the inside of the trailer, where further exerciseequipment or other material may be stored during transport of thetrailer.

The exercise equipment comprises ground engaging exercise apparatus 3and cantilevered exercise apparatus 4. In alternative embodiments, notshown, the exercise equipment may comprise only the ground engagingexercise apparatus 3, or only the cantilevered exercise apparatus 4, andit may comprise more than one ground engaging exercise apparatus 3and/or more than one cantilevered exercise apparatus 4. In thisembodiment, two ground engaging exercise apparatus 3 and onecantilevered exercise apparatus 4 are provided.

FIG. 1 shows the exercise equipment, i.e. the ground engaging exerciseapparatus 3 and the cantilevered exercise apparatus 4, in the stowedcondition. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the exercise equipment in the exercisingcondition.

The ground engaging exercise apparatus 3 comprises a leg 5 which engagesthe ground when the apparatus is in an exercising configuration by meansof a ground engaging plate 6. A pair of legs 5, each with acorresponding ground engaging plate 6, is provided, with the legs beingspaced apart in a lengthwise direction of the trailer 2, whereby thereare front and rear legs 5.

An arm member 12 a extends between the trailer and each ground engagingleg 5, thereby forming respective leg and arm member units. The leg andarm member units together form a support structure of the groundengaging exercise apparatus 3. There are front and rear arm members 12a, respectively for the front and rear legs 5. Each arm member 12 a hasan end 13 rigidly secured to a respective leg 5, and an opposite end 14connected to a respective “U”-shaped bracket 15 a, 15 b.

Each bracket 15 a, 15 b is pivotally mounted on a respective supportplate 18, as seen in FIG. 4. Each support plate 18 is bolted or weldedon the inside of lateral side surface 8 of the trailer 2 (and hence isnot seen in FIG. 1, 2 or 3). Alternatively, it may be welded in place.Thus, each support plate 18 is rigidly mounted to the trailer anddefines a respective first pivot axis, perpendicular to the lateral sidesurface 8 of the trailer and about which a respective “U”-shaped bracket15 a, 15 b is rotatable. It may be rotatable about the shank of a bolt(not shown).

The bracket 15 a is nearer to the front of the trailer and will bereferred to as the front bracket 15 a, while bracket 15 b is nearer tothe rear of the trailer and will be referred to as the rear bracket 15b. Front bracket 15 a has a pair of distal holes 16 each provided on arespective limb of the “U” and defining a second pivot axis for thesecond end 14 of the front arm member 12 a. The second pivot axisdefined by holes 16 is in a plane generally parallel to the outsidelateral side surface 8 a of the trailer, i.e. a vertical plane. Thesecond pivot axis is perpendicular to the first pivot axis of the front“U”-shaped bracket 15 a.

Rear bracket 15 b has a pair of proximal holes 17 each provided on arespective limb of the “U” and defining a second pivot axis for thesecond end 14 of the rear arm member 12 a. The second pivot axis definedby holes 17 is in a plane generally parallel to the outside lateral sidesurface 8 a of the trailer, i.e. a vertical plane. The second pivot axisis perpendicular to the first pivot axis of the rear “U”-shaped bracket15 b. The vertical plane of the second pivot axis defined by the holes17 for the rear arm member 12 a is closer to the outside lateral sidesurface 8 a than the vertical plane of the second pivot axis defined bythe holes 16 for the front arm member 12 a.

The arm member 12 a for each leg 5 may be pivoted about the respectivesecond pivot axes defined by the holes 16 or 17 in the respective“U”-shaped brackets 15 a or 15 b, and each of these brackets may berotated about a respective first pivot axis perpendicular to the outsidelateral side surface 8 a of the trailer. The result is that each armmember 12 a is attached to the outside of the trailer so as to bemovable in more than one plane. In this embodiment the first pivot axesare horizontal.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a pair of leg holding brackets 50 secured to theoutside lateral side surface 8 a. Each bracket 50 has a horizontallyprojecting limb formed with a vertical hole through which a respectivehitch pin 51 passes. When the legs 5 are stowed as shown in FIG. 1, thehitch pins pass through holes in the legs and through the vertical holesin the brackets 50, to hold the legs in the stowed condition.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, a connecting bar 21 is secured between thefront and rear legs 5 and provides an exercise bar, for example to dopull-ups.

In use, with the exercise equipment in the stowed condition, the trailer2 is towed to a site where the exercise equipment is to be used. At thedeployment site, the hitch pins 51 are lifted to release the legs topermit movement of the ground engaging exercise apparatus 3 from thestowed configuration to the exercising configuration. In the stowedconfiguration, the front leg 5 and arm member 12 a unit is positionedlaterally outwardly of the trailer relative to the rear leg 5 and armmember 12 a unit, and so the front unit is moved first. The front armmember 12 a is pivoted upwardly about the second pivot axis defined bythe distal holes 16 in the “U”-shaped bracket 15 a. Subsequently, thebracket 15 a is rotated anticlockwise about the first pivot axisperpendicular to the lateral side surface 8 a of the trailer, bringingthe ground engaging plate 6 at the bottom of the leg 5 into engagementwith the ground. A similar operation is carried out on rear leg 5 andarm member 12 a unit, with the difference that rotation about the firstpivot axis for that unit is carried out in the clockwise direction. Theconnecting bar 21, which may be stored inside the trailer during towingthereof, is then secured between the front and rear legs 5.

The ground engaging exercise apparatus 3 is then ready for use. Byengaging the ground the legs 5 act as stabilising members whichstabilise the exercise equipment, in particular the ground engagingexercise apparatus, in the exercising condition.

Since the front and rear legs 5 are moved independently, a user mustdeal with the weight of each leg one at a time. This makes the exerciseequipment easy to deploy and, after use, to stow.

The leg 5 and arm member 12 a units together form a support structure ofthe ground engaging exercise apparatus 3. When the support structure isin the exercising condition shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the groundengaging legs are in a first, vertical orientation. When the supportstructure is in the stowed condition shown in FIG. 1, the groundengaging legs are in a second, horizontal orientation, whereby theyoccupy less vertical space than when in the first, vertical orientation.The leg 5 and arm member 12 a units when stowed thus do not projectabove or below the lateral side surfaces 8 a, 8 b, and the length of thetrailer is made use of in accommodating the length of the legs 5, sothat they do not project in front of or behind the trailer, or projectonly to a small extent. This is to be contrasted with a situation if theground engaging legs were to pivot upwardly about the brackets 15 a, 15b in a generally vertical plane, in which case they would project abovethe roof of the trailer.

The cantilevered exercise apparatus 4 will now be described withreference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5. The cantilevered exercise apparatuscomprises a cantilever component, in the form of an exercise frame 22,and a support frame 25. The support frame 25 comprises a pair of armmembers 12 b connected together by a pair of diagonal brace members 24.A pair of laterally spaced support frame brackets 26 are secured on theroof surface 19 of the trailer 2. The support frame 25 is pivotallymounted by the support frame brackets 26 so as to be rotatable about asupport frame pivot axis 36 between a generally horizontal position asseen in FIG. 1, when the cantilevered exercise apparatus 4 is in itsstowed configuration, and a generally vertical position as seen in FIG.2, when the apparatus 4 is in the exercising configuration. Thus the armmembers 12 b have pivotally mounted ends and free ends remote therefrom.The support frame pivot axis 36 is horizontal.

The exercise frame has a proximal end portion 37 and a distal endportion 32.

The exercise frame 22 is pivotally mounted to the free ends of the armmembers 12 b of the support frame 25, about an exercise frame pivot axis34. The exercise frame 22 has at its proximal end portion 37 a trailerattachment portion 27 which is releasably fixed to the trailer when thecantilevered exercise apparatus is in the exercising configuration shownin FIG. 2, by a releasable anchoring device 28. The releasable anchoringdevice 28 comprises a pair of anchoring brackets 29 laterally spacedfrom each other and fixed to the roof surface 19 of the trailer 2 in aposition forwardly of the support frame brackets 26. A clamp member 30is pivotally mounted to each anchoring bracket 29.

In FIG. 1 the clamp member 30 on the right hand side of the roof surface19 is shown partially open. The clamp members 30 may be pivoted to anopen position to allow a lateral bar 31 of the trailer attachmentportion 27 of the exercise frame 22 to be received in a “U”-shapedsocket provided in the anchoring bracket 29. The clamp member 30 is alsoprovided with a “U”-shaped socket which, when the clamp member 30 ispivoted to the closed position engages the lateral bar 31 of theexercise frame to clamp it in position. At this time, the exercise frame22 extends upwardly and horizontally, supported by the support frame 25at a location intermediate between the trailer attachment portion 27held by the anchoring brackets 29 and clamp members 30 and the distalend portion 32 at the projecting end of the exercise frame 22.

The exercise frame 22 has a pair of lateral exercise bars 33 disposedoutwardly of the footprint of the trailer (as viewed from above). Theseextend horizontally, both when the cantilevered exercise apparatus 4 isin its stowed configuration and when it is in its exercisingconfiguration.

The exercise frame 22 has a pair of laterally projecting locking bars 35disposed intermediate between the exercise frame pivot axis 34 and theproximal end portion 37. When the cantilevered exercise apparatus is inthe stowed configuration seen in FIG. 1, it may be locked in thisposition by the locking bars 35 engaging in the clamp member 30 so thatit is secure during towing of the trailer. In the stowed configuration,the substantially the entire cantilevered exercise apparatus lies in agenerally horizontal plane.

In use, when the trailer has been transported to a deployment site, thereleasable anchoring device 28 is operated to release the locking bars35. The support frame 25 is pivoted about its pivot axis 36 from thehorizontal to a vertical position, thereby causing the exercise framepivot axis 34 to move away from the roof surface 19 of the trailer 2.The trailer attachment portion 27 of the exercise frame 22 is manoeuvredso that its lateral bar 31 engages with the anchoring brackets 29, whereit clamped by the anchoring brackets 29 and clamp members 30 of thereleasable anchoring device 28. At this time, the distal end portion 32projects upwardly and outwardly of the trailer to place the exercisebars 33 in an elevated position for exercising purposes.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of a training apparatus comprisingground engaging exercise apparatus 3 suitable for mounting to any wall(not shown), not necessarily that of a land vehicle, for example a fixedwall of a building or a ship. The ground engaging exercise apparatuscomprises a pair of upright posts 40 spaced apart from each other andeach having a floor plate 43 for resting on a floor, e.g. of a ship or abuilding. An upper wall mounting plate 41 extends between the twoupright posts and includes holes for receiving bolts to enable the upperwall mounting plate 41 to be secured to a wall. A lower wall mountingplate 42 is downwardly spaced from the upper wall mounting plate 41 andalso extends between the two upright posts 40 and has holes to allow itto be bolted to the wall.

In the stowed configuration of the ground engaging exercise apparatus 3shown in FIG. 6, the connecting bar 21, to be used as an exercise bar,is stowed by being supported between the two upright posts 40. As seenin FIG. 7, which shows the ground engaging exercise apparatus 3 in theexercising configuration, the connecting bar 21 has been moved from theupright posts 40 so that it extends between the ground engaging legs 5.

In other respects, the ground engaging exercise apparatus 3 is generallythe same as that described in relation to the first embodiment, andcorresponding reference numbers are used.

The operation of the ground engaging exercise apparatus 3 of FIGS. 6 and7 also corresponds to that described in relation to the firstembodiment. In particular, each leg 5 and arm member 12 a unit isindependently manoeuvred between the stowed and exercising conditions,so that a user need only deal with the weight of each unit one at atime.

The leg 5 and arm member 12 a units together form a support structure ofthe ground engaging exercise apparatus 3. When the support structure isin the exercising condition shown in FIG. 7, the ground engaging legsare in a first, vertical orientation. When the support structure is inthe stowed condition shown in FIG. 6, the ground engaging legs are in asecond, horizontal orientation, whereby they occupy less vertical spacethan when in the first, vertical orientation. This is to be contrastedwith the amount of vertical space which would be required if the groundengaging legs were to pivot upwardly about the brackets 15 a, 15 b in agenerally vertical plane, in which case a substantial amount of headroomwould be required above the upright posts 40 to accommodate the verticalspace then occupied by the legs 5.

It will therefore be seen that by allowing the ground engaging legs tohave different orientations when stowed and when deployed the exerciseequipment can be used in places where there is restricted headroom.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A training apparatus comprising a trailer whichcomprises: a container having a wall which has a vertically extendingoutside surface; wheels enabling the trailer to be transported by beingtowed; and exercise equipment; wherein the exercise equipment comprisesa support structure which is stowed during towing of the trailer, andwhich is configured to adopt an exercising condition attached to thevertically extending outside surface of the container when the traileris stationary; wherein the support structure comprises first and secondground engaging legs each configured to extend vertically at a spacingfrom the outside surface of the wall and to engage the ground with thelegs horizontally spaced apart when the support structure is in theexercising condition; wherein the support structure comprises first andsecond arm members each configured so that when the support structure isin the exercising condition each arm member projects away from theoutside surface of the wall with the arm members being horizontallyspaced apart, with the first arm member having an end rigidly secured tothe first ground engaging leg and an opposite end located at andconnected to the outside surface of the wall, and with the second armmember having an end rigidly secured to the second ground engaging legand an opposite end located at and connected to the outside surface ofthe wall; and wherein the exercise equipment further comprises anexercise bar which in the exercising condition is supported by theground engaging legs at said spacing from the outside surface of thewall.
 22. (canceled)
 23. The training apparatus of claim 21, wherein theexercise bar is supported horizontally.
 24. The training apparatus ofclaim 21, wherein the first and second ground engaging legs are spacedapart in a lengthwise direction of the trailer when the supportstructure is in the exercising condition whereby the first groundengaging leg is a front ground engaging leg and the second groundengaging leg is a rear ground engaging leg.
 25. (canceled)
 26. Thetraining apparatus of claim 24, wherein the support structure comprisesa front and rear ground engaging plates by which the front groundengaging leg and the rear ground engaging leg respectively engage theground when the support structure is in the exercising condition. 27.The training apparatus of claim 21, wherein the container has a secondvertically extending outside surface on the opposite side of the trailerwith respect to a towing direction of the trailer, wherein the exerciseequipment comprises a second support structure which is stowed duringtowing of the trailer, and which is configured to adopt an exercisingcondition attached to the second vertically extending outside surface ofthe container when the trailer is stationary, and wherein the secondsupport structure comprises a third ground engaging leg configured toengage the ground when the second support structure is in the exercisingcondition.
 28. The training apparatus of claim 27, wherein the containerhas a roof surface, and wherein the exercise equipment comprises acantilevered exercise apparatus having a cantilever component whichprojects away from the roof surface in a rearward direction with respectto the towing direction of the trailer and does not engage the groundwhen said cantilevered exercise apparatus is in an exercisingconfiguration.
 29. The training apparatus of claim 21, wherein thecontainer has a roof surface, and wherein the exercise equipmentcomprises cantilevered exercise apparatus having a cantilever componentwhich projects away from the roof surface and does not engage the groundwhen said cantilevered exercise apparatus is in an exercisingconfiguration.
 30. The training apparatus of claim 29, wherein thecantilever component extends upwardly in a direction intermediatebetween horizontal and vertical, when the cantilevered exerciseapparatus is in the exercising configuration.
 31. The training apparatusof claim 21, wherein the exercise equipment comprises a cantileveredexercise apparatus which projects away from the container and does notengage the ground when said cantilevered exercise apparatus is in anexercising configuration, the cantilevered exercise apparatus having atleast one exercise bar to be gripped by a user during exercise, and thecantilevered exercise apparatus having a distal end and a proximal endat which a container attachment portion of the cantilevered exerciseapparatus is located, the container attachment portion at the proximalend of the cantilevered exercise apparatus being fixed to the containerand the cantilevered exercise apparatus extending from the containerattachment portion thereof upwardly in a direction intermediate betweenhorizontal and vertical when the cantilevered exercise apparatus is inthe exercising configuration.
 32. The training apparatus of claim 21,wherein the support structure is manoeuvrable by pivoting with respectto the outside surface of the container whilst remaining attachedthereto, between a stowed condition for use during towing of thetrailer, and the exercising condition for use when the trailer isstationary.
 33. The training apparatus of claim 21, wherein the firstground engaging leg is in a first orientation when the support structureis in the exercising condition, and is manoeuvrable whilst remainingattached to the outside surface to a second orientation spaced from theground when the support structure is stowed, so as to occupy lessvertical space than when the first ground engaging leg is in the firstorientation.
 34. The training apparatus of claim 21, wherein the supportstructure is manoeuvrable with respect to the outside surface of thecontainer whilst remaining attached thereto, between a stowed conditionfor use during towing of the trailer, and the exercising condition foruse when the trailer is stationary, the first and second ground engaginglegs being spaced from the ground when the support structure is in thestowed condition, and wherein the first and second ground engaging legsare independently manoeuvrable with respect to each other when thesupport structure is manoeuvred between the stowed and exercisingconditions.
 35. A training apparatus comprising a trailer whichcomprises: a container; wheels enabling the trailer to be transported bybeing towed; and exercise equipment; wherein the exercise equipment isstowed during towing of the trailer, and is configured to adopt anexercising condition attached to the container for use when the traileris stationary; and wherein the exercise equipment comprises acantilevered exercise apparatus which projects away from the containerand does not engage the ground when said cantilevered exercise apparatusis in an exercising configuration, the cantilevered exercise apparatushaving at least one exercise bar to be gripped by a user duringexercise, and the cantilevered exercise apparatus having a distal endand a proximal end at which a container attachment portion of thecantilevered exercise apparatus is located, the container attachmentportion at the proximal end of the cantilevered exercise apparatus beinglocated at and fixed to the container and the cantilevered exerciseapparatus extending from the container attachment portion thereofupwardly in a direction intermediate between horizontal and verticalwhen the cantilevered exercise apparatus is in the exercisingconfiguration.
 36. The training apparatus of claim 35, wherein theexercise bar extends horizontally and in a lateral direction withrespect to the trailer.
 37. The training apparatus of claim 36, whereinthe trailer has a footprint as viewed from above, and wherein the atleast one exercise bar comprises a pair of exercise bars which are bothdisposed outwardly of the footprint of the trailer as viewed from above.38. A training apparatus comprising a trailer which comprises: acontainer having side walls and a roof, at least one of the side wallsand the roof having an outside surface on which a pair of pivot mountingstructures is provided, the pivot mounting structures being spaced apartfrom each other on the outside surface; and exercise equipment; whereinthe exercise equipment comprises a support structure which is attachedto the outside surface by the pair of pivot mounting structures on theoutside surface and is manoeuvrable by pivoting with respect to theoutside surface whilst remaining attached thereto, between a stowedcondition for use during towing of the trailer, and an exercisingcondition for use when the trailer is stationary; and wherein in thestowed condition substantially the entire support structure is in acollapsed state in which it lies adjacent to the outside surface andgenerally parallel thereto.
 39. The training apparatus of claim 38,wherein the support structure is configured to engage the ground whenthe support structure is in the exercising condition.
 40. The trainingapparatus of claim 38, wherein the support structure is pivotable abouta first axis perpendicular to the outside surface, and is pivotableabout a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.
 41. A trainingapparatus as claimed in claim 21, further comprising first and secondsupport plates for supporting the respective opposite ends of the firstand second arm members when the support structure is in the exercisingcondition, with the support plates each being bolted or welded to thewall of the container.